People commute on daily basis for several reasons such as going of work, dropping children at school, running errands or going on picnics; and increasing number of people are preferring private vehicals rather than using public transport. This essay shall delve into the causes of this phenomenon and also suggest some steps that the government can take to tackle this trend.
Predominantly, poeple use a personal car for “convinience”. They do not need to go to bus stand or metro station and wait. Moreover, while going on family trips, going by a private car is more comfortable compared to a cab or a bus. There may be some elderly people in family for whom public transport may not be an ideal option. What is more, in adverse weather conditions, owing a car is a boon. Additionally, during medical emergencies, having a private vehical can save a family member’s life. For example, my wife had an accident near our apartment, thanks to our car, I could take her immediately to a hospital.
However, for general travel, people should choose public transport over private one. There are several ways through which the government can encourage people to switch to public transport. Firstly, public transport can be made more affordable. So that more and more people can rip off the benefits of it. Secondly, it should be highly accessible and frequent in order to reduce wait time for passangers. Thirdly, people should be made aware of advantages of using public transport by various campaigns, newspapers and local radio advertisements. Lastly, the prices of the fossil fuels should be increased for private vehicals and heavy taxes should be levied to discourage casual driving by private car owners.
In conclusion, undoubtedly, there are plethora of reasons why people drive private vehicals. However, the government can make public transport more lucrative by taking various measures as suggested in the above paragraphs.